rest in the mess

Sitting in the middle of a mess is a skill.
Resting in the middle of it is even harder, but it’s one I have learned. In fact, I’m doing it right now.
As I write this, all my clothes are on my bed, my suitcase still in the corner, and boxes of things are in the garage that I still need to sell.
I used to have to finish everything before I could rest. As you can imagine, I never did.
I remember days coming back to the kitchen at my job after serving meals and looking at all that needed to be done. For a minute, I would just sit. I would sit in the mess, and I would breathe. I would eat a granola bar and take a few sips of iced coffee, and after a few minutes, I would work.

I’ve learned that life begins with rest, not ends with it. I used to wait to rest until I had seen everybody I needed to see.
I used to wait to rest until I did everything on my to do list. Little did I realize, I was rhythming myself into exhaustion.

If you cannot let your soul sit satisfied when things are left undone, you never will. We have to learn to rest before everything is in its place, because things will never quite be “in their place.” Taking a whole day, or a part of it at least, for a Sabbath makes us come to face ourselves. It makes us remember we are not in control and it reminds us that God is enough in all aspects.
So simple, I know, but it’s so important. Why do we take every other commandment in the Bible so seriously, but skip having a Sabbath day of rest?
I was reading a book and the author brought up an amazing point.

If we are to follow Jesus, we are to follow not just everything he said, but everything he did too.

Jesus may never had specifically commanded us to rest or be alone, but he did it ever so often that we must do the same too. I think we’ve spun it the wrong way when we tell people that they will get more done if they rest first. Do not worry, somehow all your work will get done when you rest, but rest is not about being productive. In fact, I believe that's the point. 

It is when there is nothing in front of you, that you come to glimpse everything inside of you.

Rest is about finding your value apart from the work of your hands.
So, I encourage you, when you have a project or process in front of you where your heart would be tempted to run rampant, sit down.

Take a deep breath, and rest in the mess.

You’ll find yourself trusting God more.
It wasn’t yours to worry about anyway. 

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